Xbox 360 UK launch review

Geometry Wars

This is the game that has been sweeping the States in the week following the 360 launch. Available as a free trial download from the Live Marketplace, it's a simple 2D shooter with stunning visuals and superlative gameplay.

Proving that the oldies are often the goodies, the game takes the concept of Robotron and updates it. If you're not familiar with Robotron (ie most people under 25) it's simple: you have one analogue controller that moves your character on the screen, and the other controller aims your direction of fire. Hence, you can move in any direction and fire in any direction at the same time. Now, combine that with an onslaught of enemies and some awesome powerups, and you're talking hardcore old-school arcade shooting gameplay.



Geometry Wars adds to this with high definition, eye-bleed-inducing visuals. The game looks like it's been created whilst the developers were on LSD, and there are times when you're taken aback by the beauty of the mass of colours and light on screen. Combine that with a hypnotic-beat soundtrack, and this is a gaming experience to cherish.

Proving that fancy graphics are no substitute for hardcore, awesome gameplay, this is, perhaps disturbingly, the game we've spend the most time playing out of the entire launch lineup.

Need For Speed Most Wanted

We downloaded the demo of NFSMW from the Live Marketplace to see how it compared to the PC version. I won't bother explaining the gameplay - it's a Need For Speed game - but I'll mention the graphics quickly. Basically, the game looked as good on the 360 as it does on my home gaming PC.



My PC is tricked out with a dual core Athlon 64, a 7800 GT, 2GB RAM etc. The 360, which costs the same as just the graphics card in that system, reproduces the graphics, including the HDR, and also including 4xAA, at 1280x720. Awesome. It's no better than the PC, but it's the same, on a larger screen, cheaper.